Durham Academy Fiesta Latina FRIDAY (10/28)

UNC Charanga Carolina and Colombian harpist Pavelid Castañeda will headline once again this year at Durham Academy's Fiesta Latina. The PUBLIC IS INVITED to attend this free festival in honor of Hispanic Heritage month. Live music and dance program runs from 7:30-10:00 pm, and food trucks will be selling food out front from 6:30 pm on. Location: Brumley Performing Arts Building at Durham Academy Lower School, 3501 Ridge Rd (corner of Pickett), Durham. Admission: FREE.

Charanga Carolina has exciting news; its studio album La Familia has hit the streets. The CD represents a milestone for the collaborative student/community ensemble, founded c. 2003 by Dr. David F. García. The 11 tracks, which include homages to Los Van Van, Arsenio Rodriguez, La Sonora Ponceña, Eddie Palmieri, Ray Barretto and Tito Puente, can be sampled at the Charanga's revernation page. To purchase the CD, for a $12 donation to UNC's Department of Music, send your check and return address to: David Garcia, UNC Department of Music, Hill Hall CB#3320, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3320.


Charanga Carolina at this time last year--October 2010

This year, Charanga alum Andy Kleindienst has taken over direction of the group. The ensemble's first public performance was a few weeks ago, so this semester's new recruits should be pretty warmed up for the DA concert.


Andy Kleindienst playing trombone with Orquesta GarDel in August

I last saw Pavelid Castañeda a few weeks ago at a private concert at UNC for the university's Board of Visitors. He was part of a very exciting program, put together by Lisa Beavers at the Center for the Study of the American South, which brought together 3 local masters of ancient stringed instruments from three distinct global traditions: Pavelid on Latin American folk harp, Naji Hilal on oud, and Diali Cissokho on kora. For the artists, presenters and myself, it was an intense exchange of music and information; future collaborations are already being planned, so keep on the lookout for that!


Pavelid Castañeda @ The ArtsCenter in June 2010

Pavelid always wows audiences with his percussive, rhythmic style and unusual arrangements for harp, ranging from traditional folk music to salsa and rock, and his own fiery compositions. He is about to release an original solo album, currently in co-production with his son, the prominent jazz harpist Edmar Castaneda.

The Durham Academy Fiesta Latina is coordinated annually by Bela Kussin, and realized with the help of many volunteers at the school. It's not only meant for the cultural enrichment of students and staff, but also as a gift for the community at large. Brumley is a beautiful new arts facility, with great auditorium seating as well as room for dancing, which will be encouraged during Charanga's sets. Come out and celebrate Latino culture and the arts in our community!

Kairaba @ Talullas; World Beat Fest TONIGHT (5/27)

Diali Cissokho & Kairaba @ Shakori Hills in April

The sensation I am recommending to everyone these days is Kairaba, a newly formed African band from the 'boros--Pittsboro, Carrboro, and Mbouror, Senegal. Diali Keba Cissokho is the griot to watch on the local music scene, having assembled a soulful trailblazer in Kairaba.

Kora, vocal, electric guitar, bass, drumset, djembe, dun dun and talking drum form the basis of this experimental sextet, whose members include Diali's nephew Sidya Cissokho, Midtown Dickens' Jonathan Henderson, jazz guitarist John Westmoreland, and longtime students of African rhythm Austin McCall and Will Ridenour.

The band name means "peace and love," a powerful, one-word concept in Manding. Will dissected it grammatically for me Thursday night:

Kaira = peace
-ba = a suffix meaning "big, great," therefore,
Kairaba = the big peace, or "peace to every living thing on earth."

Whoa.

The no-cover show was Kairaba's second at Talulla's, an event slated to repeat itself, for the time being, every other Thursday at 10 pm.

Andrew Magill, a fiddle player and former member of Charanga Carolina, joined the band last night for a few numbers. Here's audio capture of Andrew sitting on the last tune of the evening:



Catch KAIRABA again TONIGHT, Friday (5/27) at The Cat's Cradle's World Beat Fest, opening at 9:15 pm for DIFFERENT DRUM and DUB ADDIS.

Salsa & Charanga @ UNC THIS WEEKEND

POST UPDATED 3/26: check out this excellent short documentary about Charanga Carolina by Samantha Lapinsky. The documentary starts at minute 1:16:




_________________


Charanga Carolina, harpist Pavelid Castañeda and Orquesta GarDel are all making appearances at UNC this weekend, at two different concerts happening Friday (3/25) and Saturday (3/26). Both events take place at 7 pm in the Kenan Music Building Rehearsal Hall.



Friday's concert features two sets of dance music by the Charanga, and a solo set by Colombian harpist Pavelid. This benefit for the Scholars' Latino Initiative program has a $7 door.

Saturday's show is a double-bill salsa dance party with Charanga and Orquesta GarDel. Co-sponsor Mambo Dinamico celebrates its 9th anniversary with live dance performances. Door price is $10.

MORE INFO On Facebook, "Charanga Carolina"

As a warmup, here's video of Charanga Carolina's last concert in February. The group combined with the UNC jazz band here, and features special guest Conrad Herwig on trombone:

Charanga & Jazz SATURDAY (2/19) @ UNC Memorial

If you missed out on Eddie Palmieri yesterday--from his student masterclass, to the Memorial Hall concert, to a jam session on Franklin Street--you can still look forward to a great evening of Latin jazz tonight at UNC: a joint concert of Charanga Carolina and the UNC Jazz Band, with guests Joe Chambers (drums) and Conrad Herwig (trombone). Rumor has it there will be some special guests on vibes as well.



Palmieri was so stoked upon hearing the Charanga Carolina yesterday, that he placed cell phone calls during the rehearsal to share the live sound with two very important people: his wife ("she's a charanguera!" says Eddie), and trumpeter/music historian Rene Lopez.

"This is a rocking band! You better give them a good write-up," Palmieri told me afterwards.

He gave some playing tips to the group's pianists, current and former, who huddled around the keyboard on the Hill Hall stage, where yesterday's masterclass took place.

Palmieri's trombonist, Conrad Herwig has been in residency all week, playing lip-busting concerts with UNC faculty, the NC Jazz Rep Orchestra, as well as his boss. He told me Wednesday that he is looking forward to playing with the Charanga tonight.



Tonight's concert will be in UNC Memorial Hall at a cost of $15 general admission. An after hours jam session is planned at 10:30 pm at West End Wine Bar (cover: $4)

This intense burst of concerts continues next weekend, as part of UNC's 34th Carolina Jazz Festival. Trumpeter Marcus Printup of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra returns to campus for a residency Thursday (2/24)-Saturday (2/26).



I never did a full review of Charanga Carolina's show at Talulla's a few weeks ago, but it was a barnburner. Although the intimate setting puts dance space at a premium, the warm acoustics and family-run atmosphere at Talulla's are a perfect home for Charanga.

Here's a video from last time to get you in the mood for tonight:

Buzz: BIO RITMO & CHARANGA CAROLINA, Dec. 3-4

Live music in the offing:

Bio Ritmo sets up shop at the new Durham venue Casbah on Friday, December 3 for a vinyl release party of their new 45rpm single. Yours truly, Santa Salsera, will be spinning dance music between sets.

LISTEN TO THE NEW BIO RITMO SINGLE HERE
Cover art by Rei Alvarez

A-side "Dinah's Mambo" displays that funky, experimental side of Bio Ritmo we know and love, while B-side "La Muralla" is the smokin', old school salsa we can count on.


And now, for an Onda Carolina EXCLUSIVE:

Charanga Carolina is poised to announce its next show, a Latin dance party at Talulla's, on Saturday, December 4. Thanks to director David Garcia for the scoop. Charanga will play one set from 11pm-12 midnight; cover is $5.



At their last show in October at UNC, vocalist/percussionist Nelson Delgado made his exciting vibraphone debut with the Charanga. He's joined here in a VIBES DUEL (! ! !) by Matt Thurtell, a UNC exchange student from the Royal Academy of Music in London, on the Tito Puente classic, "Cayuco":

Season Update: Charanga Carolina

Charanga Carolina is a UNC performing ensemble made up of students and guest artists from the community. Like a sports team, the roster varies year to year based on student enrollment and graduations. We're lucky to have a few key players back in Charanga this fall (Caity Bunch on flute, Alex Williams on piano, and Ryan Raven on trumpet, among others), as well as a whole new crop of student Charangueros.







With more trumpets than trombones this semester, however, director David Garcia has rotated timba charts out of Charanga's book, for the time being. "To play Los Van Van, you really need the 3 trombones," David says.

What emerges stronger this season are the strings, with 5 strong players in the violin section. What better way to showcase this than by playing danzón, the original mainstay of the charanga orchestra, and the genre from which later developments such as the mambo and the cha cha chá emerged.

With its slower tempo and more classical sound, danzón may seem like a staid alternative, but it's an important building block in the history of Cuban music, and still forms the basis of many Latin jazz compositions to this day. Playing danzón well is challenging, because there's not much cover for the musicians, and its rhythmic shadings have their own subtle idiosyncrasies. Danzón builds slow, but the groove payoff in the end is large. Hear a modern echo in the cha-rock slowcookers of the 60s and 70s, songs like "Cocinando" ane "Oye Como Va"--based on rhythms that originated, in the way-back time, with danzón.



Charanga Carolina did an impressive job last Sunday, therefore, with their first public performance of this classic danzón "Angoa" at Chapel Hill's Festifall.

"That was the first time I've ever heard live danzón, and it made my day," said dance aficionada Amanda Jackson.

Other new charts in the book this season: an Arsenio Rodriguez son, "Blanca Paloma," and a conjoined version of "Guantanamo" and "Me Voy Pa' Moron." As a dancer, I can tell you these two-for-one charts are heaven to dance to. Thanks, Charanga! Keep up the good work.



Next performance of CHARANGA CAROLINA:

Saturday, October 16 at 8:30 pm at Durham Academy's Fiesta Latina. Free and open to the public! Not only that, but your Fiesta Latina program will get you a discount at the door to see New York salsa band La Excelencia at Fred Astaire studio later that night, which is the official afterparty of DA Fiesta Latina.

Charanga Carolina to Headline Festifall TODAY

Charanga Carolina performs Sunday (10/3) at 4:45 pm on Franklin Street, near Graham Street intersection, on Festifall's Main Stage. The free outdoor arts festival runs through 6 pm today.



Says director David Garcia:

"Our set list [Sunday] will include Cuban danzón and son as well as salsa from New York and Puerto Rico and merengue from La [Republica] Dominicana!"

UNC's Charanga Carolina dir. David Garcia

Charanga Carolina already played their first concert of the fall season in September, at NC Central's Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. Here is the first public performance of one of their new charts this semester, Eddie Palmieri's "Lo Que Traigo Es Sabroso":



LINKS:

Festifall: http://www.townofchapelhill.org/index.aspx?page=513
Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/Festifall

Fiesta Pachanga!

North Carolina may be the only state in the union to have a publicly funded charanga orchestra: Charanga Carolina, UNC's Latin ensemble, plays their first concert of the season this Thursday (9/16) in Durham, at the neighboring NCCU campus.


Charanga Carolina @ NCCU last April

Thursday's concert celebrates Hispanic heritage month at NC Central's "Fiesta Pachanga." The Fiesta from 5-9 pm includes Latin American food, and is free and open to the public. Charanga Carolina performs from 6-7 pm in the lobby of the Alfonso Elder Student Union.

I visited a Charanga rehearsal a few weeks ago, and saw many returning faces, along with a few new ones. Looking forward to hearing the new group in action.

WHAT: Charanga Carolina
WHEN: Thursday, 9/16, 6:00 - 7:00 pm
WHERE: Alfonso Elder Student Union Lobby, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC
Directions: http://www.nccu.edu/students/union.cfm

Admission: Free. Open to the public.

Homecoming: Will Caviness NC All Star Quartet

UNC alum Will Caviness returned to Chapel Hill's West End Wine Bar last night, to jam with local jazz faculty. After graduating, Caviness attended New England Conservatory and now performs his own jazz compositions in New York City. His NC All Star Quartet included NCCU professors Thomas Taylor (drums) and Ed Paolantonio (piano), and UNC-Greensboro professor Steve Haines (bass). Saxophonist Andy Paolantonio also joined them onstage for one of Caviness' originals.


Will Caviness, trumpet, with bassist Steve Haines

Will was the first trumpeter with Charanga Carolina, back in the early '00s; director David Garcia was there to welcome him back, as well as other Charanga alumni. Will's name was familiar to me from Charanga, but I don't remember hearing him play as a soloist. I was astounded by his versatility, playing both trumpet and flugel with refined speed at times, and forceful blues at others.


UNC Jazz Director Jim Ketch sits in with his former student

At the end of the formal performance, Will asked if any of the trumpeters in the audience wanted to come up and join him. Jim Ketch, his former teacher at UNC, obliged. The tune was "Night in Tunisia," which turned out to be the Easter egg of the evening, full of witty turns which delighted musicians and audience alike. Thomas Taylor's rhythm doctoring made me aware, once again, that it's not always the showcasing of individuals that gives the greatest pleasure in the jam session, but the chemistry of surprise.

It's too dark to really see who's playing, but this is Jim Ketch soloing for the first two minutes; then you can see Will walk in to the mic from stage right:





LINKS:

Artist website: Will Caviness, Jazz Trumpeter and Educator

Facebook event page: Will Caviness NC All Star Quartet

Grand, Open: NCMA Festival Highlights

After playing Shakori on Friday night, Orquesta GarDel was in Raleigh by 11 am Saturday morning to kick off the NC Museum of Art's Grand Opening Festival. The turnout of salsa dancers representing different styles for both Gardel, and again on Sunday for Charanga Carolina, was really awesome. It was a vibrant image of our salsa community. It was truly exciting to see how well-received "our Latin thing" was by visitors to the Grand Opening. A lot of people--including one 81-year-old woman from Garner--told me they hoped to see the Museum do this kind of thing again.


The Beast @ NCMA Grand Opening Festival on Saturday

If you haven't yet seen the new gallery upgrade, drop by sometime during visiting hours. Admission is FREE, and it belongs to you, the taxpayers of North Carolina. It's quite an ark.

Link: The Independent Weekly's cover story on the new NCMA

As stage manager at the Plaza Stage, I enjoyed working with the artists and an excellent, excellent sound and stage crew. The 21-piece NCCU Jazz Big Band never sounded better, and Appalachian duo David Holt and Josh Goforth were big crowdpleasers; their CDs sold like hotcakes at the merch table. Southern Sun Drum, the official drum of the Lumbee tribe from Pembroke, came with singers and dancers in regalia. They got the whole community (i.e. the audience) to circle and dance around the drum for the final songs. The diversity of the programming worked really well. Saturday on the plaza closed with The Beast, which energized one break dancer to emerge from the crowd (see video).



The Gospel Jubilators, an a capella group from Durham, had me join their prayer circle before they went on stage. They prayed for the spirit to move someone in the audience. Les Primitifs du Futur, a cabaret-jazz group from Paris, were on next, and sure enough, their saxophone player teared up listening to genuine article, African-American spirituals.


Les Primitifs du Futur Sunday @ NCMA

Les Primitifs are very serious musicians and yet very charming, playing a fantastic array of instruments from accordion to theremin to xylophone. Charanga was in the wings, ready to go on next, and we all enjoyed hearing Les Primitifs play a 1930s Cuban son in the French Musette style.



Inside the former East Building, crowds gathered to hear and observe Greensboro experimental musicians Invisible (aka Bart Trotman and Mark Dixon) play their analog drum machine, Rhythm 1001. Sunday afternoon, a complete performance of Mahler's 2nd Symphony, with 200 orchestral and choral musicians, took place inside, which was slightly mindblowing. Tift Merritt, The Monitors, and Carolina Brass played in the Park Theater Saturday night. The Museum posts a total visitor count of almost 15,000 for the entire grand opening weekend.

Summer events in the outdoor Museum Park Theater start soon, in May--see full schedules below.

Links:

NCMA Summer Concert Schedule
NCMA Summer Film Schedule

Charanga on Brant Street

Bela Kussin and Warren Harris moving to the sounds of Charanga Carolina

Charanga Carolina was literally standing by as I arrived at NCCU's Culture Shock Festival, a little after 6 pm on Tuesday. Things were running comfortably late, as the sun cast long shadows across the dancefloor on Brant Street. Around 6:30, they kicked off their set with "Estoy Como Nunca." "Cayuco" and a medley of "Boranda" and "Isla del Encanto" were among the tunes that followed, and the show ended with "Ahi Na' Ma." A small but dedicated group of dancers made the most of Tuesday's windfall.

There are only two more opportunities to hear Charanga Carolina before the end of the semester (and summer hiatus): Saturday, April 24 at the World Music Concert at UNC, and Sunday, April 25 at the NC Museum of Art's Grand Opening Festival. Both events are free.


Buzz: Vocalist/percussionist Nelson Delgado told me he recently purchased a set of vibes, and is brushing up his skills in jazz improvisation. Can't wait to hear his vibes debut with a local Latin band one of these days!

Late-Breaking! CHARANGA in DURHAM TODAY

Charanga Carolina performs a 45 min. set today, Tuesday (4/6) at 6 pm, at 408 Brant St. in Durham, off Fayetteville St. on the North Carolina Central University campus!

This event is part of NCCU's Culture Shock Festival. The whole event runs 5-7:30 pm today, and is hosted by NCCU student dance troupe Los Salseros.

Link: NCCU Culture Shock feat. Charanga Carolina

Grand Band

The UNC Jazz Band joined forces with the Charanga Carolina Saturday night, for the first time, with some new arrangements for the combined ensemble. Ivan Renta and Jason Marsalis, artists-in-residence at the Carolina Jazz Festival, were featured soloists. Renta brought a number of Chico O'Farrill charts with him, and the big band led off with "Havana Blues." Marsalis, a founding member of Los Hombres Calientes, did some impressive drumming in 6/8 on a Latin jazz number, but stuck mostly to vibes. He even snuck in a reference to the Star Trek opening theme in his vibes solo on "The Nearness of You." Inside joke?



Earlier in the day, Jason and Ivan gave a masterclass at an open rehearsal with the combined ensemble. A couple of pics (click on any to see larger):







Ivan Renta has been to the Triangle a few times before; I first met him in 2005, with Chembo Corniel's five-piece Grupo Chaworo, at the old Exploris during the travelling Latin Jazz exhibition from the Smithsonian. He came to Memorial Hall for the first time the following year, with the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra led by Arturo O'Farrill. From the ancient, mineral hotsprings town of Coamo, Puerto Rico, the 29-year-old has been a leading sideman since his teens, when he moved to New York and began gigging with Eddie Palmieri and others.



The Jazz Band sounded really great, under the irrepressible leadership of Jim Ketch. But I admit I could hardly wait to hear David Garcia lead the Charanga and combined ensembles in the second half. Here are videos in full of the 3 new numbers they did, arranged for charanga and big band together.

"Pide Que Lo Toque" - a gem! Ivan plays a vintage German "Krebs" flute with a plastic mouthpiece, with an unusual Cuban provenance. These were once in common use in Cuba, and according to Ivan, while the middle range is nothing special, it really pops out the high notes which are favored in charanga. This very flute once belonged to the inimitable Richard Egües of Orquesta Aragon; Egües exchanged instruments with Mario Rivera in 1978, when the two recorded together in Cuba on the Tipica 73 album Intercambio Cultural. The flute came to Ivan recently following the passing of Mario Rivera in 2007. The first flute solo features Charanga flutist Caity Bunch; then Jason Marsalis takes a vibes solo; Ivan Renta plays the second flute solo about 4 min. in to the video.



"La Justicia" - Jaime Roman sings lead on this Papa Molina merengue cover. Funny lyrics! You hardly ever hear these old school, big band-era merengues anymore, with saxes doing the guajeos:



"Cayuco" - a classic, Tito Puente cha cha cha, with vibes solo by Marsalis and Renta again on sax/flute:



The night wasn't over yet. See more videos from the post-show jam session at West End Wine Bar, here.

Ivan Renta & Charanga Carolina SATURDAY

Carolina Jazz Festival continues...

Charanga Carolina performs tonight, Saturday (2/27) at Memorial with the UNC Jazz Band, with featured artists Jason Marsalis and Ivan Renta. For the first time, Charanga and the Jazz Band will perform together on a few arrangements: a classic merengue by Papa Molina arranged for big band and charanga, "La Justicia," and Tito Puente's "El Cayuco." I can't find specific ticket price info on this concert, but assume some admission will be charged at the door at Memorial.

Meanwhile, masterclass sessions this afternoon, Saturday (2/27) in the Kenan Music Building rehearsal hall are FREE and open to the public:

1:00pm-2:15pm Masterclass Sessions
Jason Marsalis, drums and vibes
Ivan Renta, saxophone and jazz improvisation

2:30-4:00pm Workshop on Latin Jazz
With Charanga Carolina, David Garcia, Director
With UNC Jazz Band, Jim Ketch, director
With guests: Ivan Renta, tenor sax; Jason Marsalis, drums

Charanga DJ

A rapt audience turned out for DJ Radar's performance with Charanga Carolina at Gerrard Hall last night, featuring compositions of pianist Raúl Yañez. There is a lot more to turntabling than scratching and sampling old records, and I wish I had spent more time getting to know Radar's methods. He presses his own vinyl, so for instance, he put vocals by Raúl's brother on an album to sample during "Sigue Tus Sueños," a 4/4 cha groover I would have sworn was a vintage '70s loop. Charanga pianist Alex Williams took over the bench for that number; this freshman has both percussion and keyboard training, so he can really rock a montuno.

I got bees' knees listening to "Centipede," a tune with a little more of a spotlight on DJ Radar. Andrew Van Tassel (sax), Ryan Raven (trumpet), and Raúl Yañez (piano) also solo:



Raúl tipped me off afterwards that the title is actually a reference to the old Atari video game--a great example of the wit, cultural hipness and musicality of Yañez' turntable compositions:



Back in Phoenix, Raúl is known at jazz club Bobby C's for playing B3 Hammond organ in his small Latin combo with DJ Radar. The two have developed tons of material incorporating turntables over more than 10 years of playing together, so what we heard was the tip of an iceberg.

Dancing took off in part two of this program, when Charanga did four tunes with various guests sitting in. Bradley Simmons played congas on one, and DJ Radar added turntable percussion to the encore, Ruben Blades' "Pedro Pablo." They moved the brass up to the front of the orchestra for this set, and it was distinctly pleasurable to pound the dancefloor to their Los Van Van cover with the trombones in my ear.



Among the Yañez originals, we also heard the world premiere of "Circulo," a restlessly building instrumental that mingles salsa, cumbia and 6/8 feeling, a work commissioned for Charanga Carolina:



You heard it here first.

Props to Festival on the Hill organizer Mark Katz, who put this special collaboration in motion and who emcee'ed all the Charanga events. A good number of dancers turned out, so it was nice to see this event happen as a real intermingling of cultures.

Dancers, what did you think?

Chicano Charanga @ UNC FRIDAY

Latin pianist Raúl Yañez and turntablist DJ Radar played the same club in Phoenix, but on different nights. They finally met when DJ Radar (aka Jason Bellmont) wanted a jazz musician to check out his scratch notation. Before long, the two were jamming after hours, collaborating, and exploring the integration of turntables into a live, Latin band.

In 2001, Raúl wrote Concerto for Turntable, which world-premiered in Carnegie Hall in 2005 (with sponsorship by Red Bull).

Scratch forward to 2010, and UNC Music Department's Festival on the Hill, an annual symposium and letting-down-of-the-hair on a creative theme. This year's topic: The Art and Culture of the DJ.


Raúl Yañez & DJ Radar rehearse with Charanga Carolina

Here's what you need to know: Raúl Yañez and DJ Radar are here FRIDAY (2/19), and they are inviting you to their dance party with Charanga Carolina 8-10 pm, in UNC's Gerrard Hall (on the left side of Memorial Hall). There's a lovely wood floor, dancing is encouraged, and it's FREE and OPEN to the public.

Raúl wrote "Circulo," a new piece especially for the Charanga Carolina and DJ Radar. The first set will feature Raúl's original material and Cuban classics such as "Cumbanchero," integrating turntables + charanga; a second set will feature DJ Radar sitting in with Charanga's regular material, including their Los Van Van anthem "Esto Te Pone La Cabeza Mala."

I know you are all wondering what to expect; I've been to the open rehearsal, and I can tell you, this is fresh, limber, groove-based dance music, and the turntables are integrated to a surprising degree, embedded as it were, right into the Latin rhythm section. Here is a piece of video from the Q&A last night, where Raúl and Radar discuss what they are trying to do:



I don't want to spoil all the surprises, but here is a brief sample of DJ Radar's flashier side, soloing with the Charanga during the open rehearsal:



DANCERS: TURN OUT FOR THIS. ALL PEOPLE WITH EARS: YOU TOO.

Mambo Show, but No Band Tonight

As far as we know, the Mambo Dinamico party tonight with Eddie Torres, et al., at Capital VIP is still on. It will be without live music, however. UNC has cancelled classes, so that makes it a snow day for Charanga Carolina (a university performing ensemble).

Note from Charanga director David Garcia:

Dear Charanga community,

I am cancelling Charanga's performance tonight because of UNC's adverse weather announcement (http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1395/466915/). But Mambo Dinamico's other events are still scheduled to take place tonight!

David Garcia

Weather Watch: Mambo Dinamico STILL ON This Weekend

As of 5 pm Friday, the festival weekend with Charanga Carolina and Eddie Torres is ON. Passing on Betto's press release:

SPECIAL NOTE FROM MAMBO DINAMICO:
Hello guys,
The most important news is that we are going to have the event. Don't allow a little bit of snow to intimidate you!!!

Here are some tips for you to drive safe on winter weather:

1. Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
2. Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
3. Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
4. Keep your lights and windshield clean.
5. Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.
6. Don't use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
7. Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas or on exposed roadways like bridges.
8. Don't pass snow plows and sanding trucks. The drivers have limited visibility, and you're likely to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind.
9. Don't assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and front-wheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads.


See you guys tonight!
Betto

FRIDAY & SATURDAY EVENING PARTY PASSES AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR!!!

Mambo Dinamico is featuring Eddie Torres at their 8th Year Anniversary. Eddie Torres is an amazing instructor and choreographer. Most of the top dancers teaching and performing Salsa all over the world have learned from EddieTorres or have been inspired by his videos, choreographies, and dancers. He is recognized by the world Salsa community as the King of Mambo. Eddie Torres' partner is none other than Griselle Ponce.

Griselle Ponce is one of the top ladies stylest in the world with an enchanting charisma on stage as well as on the dance floor. She has been teaching and performing throughout the world for over 10 years.

It is an honor to have Eddie Torres in North Carolina and it is a great oppurtunity for you to witness this icon light up the stage with his beautiful partner Griselle Ponce.


The weekend line-up also includes Paso Fino from Atlanta, Dulcinea from Asheville, Rodrigo and Cristina from Chicago, and North Carolina's very own Mambo Dinamico, CoboBrothers Dance Company, and Charanga Carolina.


SCHEDULE
Welcome Party at Carmen's Cuban Cafe & Lounge on Friday, January 29th – 10pm-2:30am
Workshops at Capitol VIP (formerly Red's) on Saturday January 30th – 12pm-4pm
Anniversary Party at Capitol VIP (formerly Red's) on Saturday January 30th – 9pm-2:30am
Workshops at Capitol VIP (formerly Red's) on Sunday January 31st – 12pm-4pm

Go to http://www.mambodinamico.com/workshops.html for more details about the event.

Mambo Dinamico Dance Company
www.mambodinamico.com

Mambo Dinamico 8th Anniversary Weekend

Local dance company Mambo Dinamico celebrates its 8th anniversary this weekend a visit by "Mambo King" Eddie Torres, numerous other guests who will present workshops, and live music by Charanga Carolina. This will be Torres' first appearance in North Carolina.

Torres, former stage dancer with Tito Puente, is known as one of the leading instructors in New York mambo. He will partner with Griselle Ponce for a show during Saturday night's party at Capital VIP (formerly Red's) in Raleigh.

Charanga Carolina provides live music for a dance party following Saturday's show; Capital VIP is a new Latin club with a large, well-maintained wood dancefloor. A door admission of $30 includes the floor show (which promises to be spectacular) and live music.

A kickoff party Friday night at Carmen's with DJ Salsa Mike is also open to the public, for a more modest admission of $10. Consult Betto Herrera's Mambo Dinamico webpage for full event details.


A talented mambo pro, and always a friendly face, Betto has been a positive force in our dance community these last 8 years, building up an infrastructure of dancers, deejays, workshops and social events to spread love for the art form. His Tuesday Latin socials at Carmen's Cuban Cafe have become a fixture and weekly outlet for dancers.

As a mambo specialist, he's a disciplined pro who travels the world to dance and give instruction. By the same token, he's brought outside instructors in to enhance our local dance scene, helping to put North Carolina on the interregional salsa networking map.

But I also know Betto as an avid supporter and follower of live music. As a native Ecuadorian with roots in popular dance culture, Betto understands the richness and diversity of salsa styles, and the folkloric sources they draw upon. While building up his own company, he has contributed to a spirit of cooperation in our relatively small community for Latin dance.

Congratulations, Betto and Mambo Dinamico, on 8 years of bringing high quality instruction and events to the Triangle!

Papaya Party Highlights

Some new video of Orquesta GarDel from the tremendously successful Papaya party Saturday night, where musicians and dancers were happy all around. Everybody who should have been there was there, I think, a historic gathering of all the salsa and mambo crowds, old and new school.

The brass section sounded crisper with the use of new in-ear monitors, and this tune showcases los metales, going down the line in a series of short solo blasts, which start at the 2:40 min mark:



Passing solos down the line, from right to left: Alberto Carrasquillo (trumpet), Andy Kleindienst (trombone), Tim Smith (alto sax), Blu Thompson (bari sax), back around to Al Strong (trumpet), and down the line again to Blu, merry musical prankster, who ends the tear with an allusion to a familiar holiday tune.

NCCU music faculty Al Strong brought his flugelhorn along, for a change of pace, and deftly substituted it for one of the softer solos in another tune. A few friends dropped in to help celebrate Nelson Delgado's birthday, including Ramon "Chino" Casiano, leader of Sajaso, who took the lead on one tune.



Click on small photos to see larger





Charanga Carolina opened and sounded great; I'm cheered to hear the sangre nueva, aka several of the group's newest student members, telling me how much they love playing in the group, and plan to do so for the rest of their UNC careers. This is exactly what I (we) want to hear! This is the idea behind this cutting-edge Latin music education; recruiting talent into the fold and training up the next generation. I danced a lot, consequently didn't stand around much taking new photos or videos, but this group sounded great and is growing stronger. Their songbook has increased a lot more than I had expected, from the timba they were doing, to salsa dura, and late 70s Fania with creamy string arrangements. Talking with director David Garcia, I'm confident we're going to hear great things to come in the spring semester.

As GarDel played their first notes, Eric Hirsh's distinctive keyboard sound really hit me, in the best way. Here we are near the end of the night, as I was able to catch this solo, and the general good vibe of Papaya:



It was a historic pairing of bands, and as noted, GarDel has its roots in Charanga, and shared most of the same rhythm section and vocalists night. The neat thing about this joint concert was the chance to hear both bands, sounding great, and to appreciate their uniqueness and their differences. It also shows that, great live music in the right atmosphere at an accessible price really brings our salsa community together. This rarely seems possible anymore; thanks to David Garcia and to both bands for showing that it is.


click on photo to see more at my flickr page